Well-bucket.



, PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

L. B. THOMAS.

WELL BUCKET.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 31, 1907.

IN ENTOR.

Arm/Ways 1": animals PEIERS cm, WASHINGMN, u. c,

LUTHER B. THOMAS, OF RINGGOLD, LOUISIANA.

WELL-BUCKET.

Application filed January 31, 1907.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LUTHER B. THOMAS, a I citizen of the United States,residing at Ringgold, in the parish of Bienville and State of Louisiana,have invented a new and useful Well-Bucket, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to well buckets, and its object is to provide abucket of novel construction having means whereby the bucket willquickly sink when lowered into the water.

Heretofore in the construction of round buckets having valves in thebottoms thereof it has been necessary to so shape the valves as toprevent them, when open, from admitting a suflicient quantity of waterto cause the bucket to promptly sink.

The present lnvention is designed to over come this defect and consistsof certain novel features of construction and combination of parts whichwill be hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing is shown the preferred form of theinvention.

In said drawings,Figure 1 is a vertical section through a bucketconstructed in accordance with the present invention, the valve of thebucket being shown in dotted lines in raised position. Fig. 2 is a topplan view of the bucket. Fig. 3 is a bottom view thereof, and Fig. 4 isa detail view of the valve, detached.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference, 1 is a tubularbucket, the upper open end of which is circular whereas the lower endhas a straight edge 2 formed by flattening the wall of the bucket alongone side, said flattened portion gradually increasing transverselytowards the bottom, as shown particularly in Fig. 2.

A ring 3 is secured around the bottom of the bucket and has aninwardly-extending flange 4 which is merely of sufficient width toconstitute a seat or rest for the valve of the bucket. This valveconsists of a body 5 of leather or other suitable material conformingsomewhat to the contour of the bottom of the bucket and having astraight edge 6 which is secured by means of rivets 7 or in any otherpreferred manner, to the corresponding portion of the flange 4. Securedupon this body is a reinforcing plate 8 having an upstanding tongue 9extending therefrom at the free end of the valve, and this tongue isadapted to limit the upward or inward movement of the valve by cominginto contact with the flat wall of the bucket. Another plate 8' is se-Sp ecification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 26, 1908.

Serial No. 355,094.

cured upon the lower base of the valve body, the two plates 8 and 8''being fastened by rivets.

A bail-like projection 10 is secured to the plate 8 'and is adapted toproject beyond the lower end of the bucket so that when the bucket isplaced on a board or other struc ture this projection will push thevalve into the bucket so as to open the same and allow its contents toflow outward. It will be noted by referring to Figs. 2 and 3 that thevalve is of slightly less width than the bottom of the bucket so thatsaid valve is free to swing upward until its tongue 9 contacts with theflat face of the bucket. As practically the entire bottom of the bucketis then open it will be understood that the bucket will be free toinstantly sink below the surface of the water in which it is placed.

The plate 8 extends over all portions of the body 5 of the valve, exceptthat part thereof adjacent the securing means 7, and therefore the valveis prevented from buckling under the weight of the liquid contents ofthe.

bucket. By providing the tongue 9 the valve is prevented from swingingtoo far inward and, therefore, there is no danger of the same becominglocked and thereby prevented from promptly returning to its seat whensubjected to downward pressure.

What is claimed is A well bucket havinga flattened wall at its inletend, a flange surrounding the inlet, and a valve normally closing saidinlet end and comprising a flexible member secured at one edge againstthe flat wall of the bucket and having its peripheral portion normallyresting upon the flange, a reinforcing plate upon the lower face of saidmember and disposed to be surrounded by and to fit close to the flange,a bail-like projecting device upon said plate and normally extendingbelow the bucket, a reinforcing plate upon the inner face of theflexible member, an integral folded tongue extending from the edge ofand at right angles to said plate and constituting a stop, and meansextending through the plates and flexible member for binding said platesupon the member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LUTHER B. THOMAS.

Witnesses:

S. D. GRAVES, L. D. KINAR-D.

